Zelda and Mass Effect

   So many big games this year, it's insane, especially as last year was quite pants. Even when it feels like there's a gap coming up now, there isn't really, like how Prey came out Friday. I wish Bethesda would remove their stupid policy of not sending out review copies of games until release day so the reviews are out late. I'm semi (ha) interested in Prey and had a weekend of so might've played it, but as I'm not pre-convinced (definitely a word) I've gave it a miss and will now likely not buy it for some time, potentially second hand now if I ever do, so Bethesda lost out on my money.
   Speaking of missing out on my money, I was quite interested in Injustice 2, the DC fighting game based on and made by the Mortal Kombat guys. However, they have announced DLC before the game is released... If you're not going to release a completed game then don't charge full price. People went nuts at Deus Ex last year for the game being portioned out in to 'pay to play' sections so the whole game didn't come out like the developers wanted because the publishers were dicks, but it seems no one cares about the same thing happening now. Well, fuck this game now, I'll spend my money on something more worth while, like biscuits. In my eyes they've made a fatal(ity) error. Rant over
   Anyway, I'm here to talk about Mass Effect and Zelda, though not in great detail, everything in the world has already been said, but I'll add a few of my own thoughts now.

Mass Effect: Andromeda

   Well, I already put my kinect away, so no more videos recorded by me, no great loss there. Until another game come out where you can play as a middle aged man dress as Cammy then why bother?
   So, one of the best things that Zelda did for me was take so long that I didn't get to starting Mass Effect until the patch came out so I never had any issues with crazy facial animations and monster faces that people had early on so that is a non factor to me.
   As I have said many, many times third person shooters really aren't my bag, I enjoyed the Mass Effect series in the past (especially 2, the best one) because it had such a good story, and the game play was good enough in short bursts, but 3 took it in a bad direction where it was nearly all shooting. This game reminds me more of 3 in that sense but it seems to me that the game play has improved. I find it immeasurably better than other games of this genre like Uncharted and Gears of War which I get bored of after 10 minutes, this had enough variety with teamwork included that I enjoyed it. I'm not saying that I prefer playing these parts more that a good FPS or platformer, it certainly isn't that good, but it's solid. Until you come across yet another orb dude of course.
   The main story here is good, overall. It's a good story set away from, and yet simultaneously to (sort of) the original trilogy, although the actual script isn't the best. Most of the loyalty missions are good although there wasn't any Zaeed-esque questionable choices that stopped me from hundred percenting no. 2 cause my Shepard wasn't a total dick. Millions of little side quests are available to varying degrees of fun and tonnes of missions related to building up planets to let the colonies live on.
   The biggest issue I have with the game is travelling, so many of the missions involve travelling to different planets (with their long loading times) or around the Nexus (the new version of the Citadel) that the game can become so tedious. you can play a mission for 10-15 minutes of just travelling between loading screens to have a conversation with a dude before going somewhere else for another and so on. I worry that this is done intentionally to break up some of the monotony of shooting as that's what I suspect, but there has to be a better way to do it (not that I know what that idea is). There are also mining, developing, multiplayer parts to help you upgrade your abilities, weapons, armour and so on but I finished it easily after barely dipping my toe nail in to any of this.
   So, in summation I feel there has been some harsh criticism of this game but also kind of fair. It's enjoyable but if it wasn't a Mass effect game I'd likely have never touched it. If you're a Mass effect fan give it a play in the (very) unlikely event you haven't already, don't believe the hate. If not I guess it depends how much you like a game that gives you a million things to do that can last hundreds of hours if you so desire.

The Legend of Zelda the Breath of the Wild

   I am not a Zelda fan. The only main Zelda game I played was the early Wii game Twilight Princess, which I didn't think much of. As mentioned so many times I was a Sega kid to such of an extent in fact that I didn't realise that a Sega kid kid was really a thing until I got to uni when I met people who actually had nostalgia for old Nintendo.  I am not sure I played any Nintendo console before that outside of not getting how to play Goldeneye with the one thumb stick and giving up quickly.
   What I am getting to there is that I'm not one of these Zelda lovers who decided this was the greatest game of all time before it even came out, that said I'm also not a hater just to be contrarian. This is a very good game. The world is incredible, full to the brim with things to see, so and find. The varieties of areas are amazing and it looks fantastic, including the spectacular draw distance. The puzzles are fantastic too, many of the shrines are very good and can make you feel like a smarty pants when you figure it out, and this goes multiple times over for the Divine beasts. The combat is fine as well, very simple, but effective and I didn't hate the bosses, somehow.
   Not so good is all the different things to pick up, and no I'm not talking Korok seeds that actually do something. I mean all the bones and plants and such things you pick up, I know they all have a use with cooking and crafting but the only ingredient I ever needed to actually use was fire lizards for that volcanoey area of the map. Of course the breakable weapons are a whole ridiculous thing of their own.
   A quick summary then is that this is a must play, despite that most people wont have a way to play it 'cause it's impossible to get your hands on a Switch and who actually owns a WiiU (except for me)? This is another game that could last you hundreds of hours if you want it to, but in my opinion, Horizon is the better game this year due to it's far superior gameplay, and as far as the world goes, Witcher 3 is better. Those 2 are, in my opinion, pretty great games to be compared to though. Just remember Nintendo fan boys, being able to climb every wall alone does not the greatest game of all time make (does that make sense).
 
   Two more things. 1. Telltale's 'Tales from the Borderlands' is free on PS plus this month, a game I've nearly bought several times as so many people seem say how it is if not the second best (after walking dead) telltale game then maybe the actual best because it is so 'hilarious'. Well, I played the first episode and it isn't, people are idiots. 2.  Why is Puyo puyo Tetris £10 more on the Switch than on PS4 and why is it only physical on ps4? I guess Sega are a mean scheme machine or that Nintendo are feeding us an Avalanche of shit...

 

   No time to explain is very good too (as seen above). A platformer where you control the jumps with a big laser beam, which is also your weapon. Has loads of references to other games too, which obviously I appreciate.